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VCU rolls past UMass 85-70 in A-10 quarterfinals

Posted at 10:02 PM, Mar 11, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-11 22:46:56-05

BROOKLYN -- In last year's A-10 tournament, the VCU Rams got a chance to avenge three of their 6 regular season conference losses. This year, they started their campaign with the same opportunity against a UMass team that upset them in Amherst exactly 1 month ago. They used runs of 12-0 in the first half, and 23-6 to open the second half in cruising to an 85-70 win that puts them in Saturday's semifinals.

"Coach [Wade] showed us [Umass's] postgame comments from yesterday and they were very confident" said Mo Alie-Cox after the win. "We knew the last VCU team they played wasn't the one they would see [Friday]. "

Alie-Cox had 8 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks as the cornerstone of a VCU defensive effort that held the Minutemen to 35 percent shooting in the first half and only 4 offensive rebounds for the game. VCU limited UMass to one shot per possession on many of their trips down the floor.

"We did a tremendous job on the backboards" said VCU head coach Will Wade. "We pounded them on the offensive glass, which I love. We did a nice job attacking the paint and getting downhill in the second half."

VCU outscored UMass on the fast break 14-9, and 20-7 off the 12 turnovers the Rams created. Four Rams scored in double figures, led by Melvin Johnson who had 19 points, but left the game with seconds remaining after rolling his ankle on a shot in the final minute. Johnson did not participate in the post game handshake and was limping into the locker room before his teammates.

"He certainly looked fine in the locker room" Wade said. "There was no swelling and everything's structurally good according to the doctors and trainers. All signs point to him being ok".

"He's fine. Mel's just over dramatic" Alie-Cox added.

JeQuan Lewis added 16 points and Korey Billbury another 12 in his first conference win as a player. Billbury transferred from Oral Roberts, which lost in their conference opener each year he was with them. Alie-Cox said Billbury questioned his teammates' long faces in the locker room after the game.

"We told him: 'We don't have long faces. We're just used to winning'" Alie-Cox explained. "We know when we come up here, we're expected to win. We have so many people that come up here and support us. We don't want to lose our first game and let everyone down."